12th Russian in Spy Ring Probe Deported

The United States and Russia exchanged spies this morning on the tarmac of the airport in Vienna, Austria, bringing an end to a 12-day saga that reminded the world that secret agents and invisible ink are not a thing of the past.

ABC News

The 12th person who surfaced in the final months of the FBI Russian spy probe has been removed from the U.S. and is currently on a deportation flight to Russia.

Alexey Karetnikov, 23, had been living in the Seattle area, according to federal law enforcement officials. His Facebook page indicates that he had worked at Microsoft.

"As part of the agreement, Mr. Karetnikov admitted that he was present in the United States in violation of immigration law and voluntarily agreed to deportation in lieu of further court proceedings," said Department of Homeland Security spokesman Matthew Chandler in a statement. "Once deported, Mr. Karetnikov would face criminal and civil penalties if he returned without express U.S. Government permission."

Though no criminal charges were brought against Karetnikov, a law enforcement official told ABC News that he surfaced during the probe.

Spy Swap: U.S. and Russia Exchange Spies in Vienna

"We investigated thoroughly, and if we had been able to prosecute the individual we would have," the law enforcement official said.

The man's involvement in the probe, which ended last week with a Cold War-style spy swap in Vienna, was first reported by the Wall Street Journal. He entered the U.S. in Oct. 2009.

He was arrested by ICE agents on June 28 for immigration offenses, according to federal law enforcement officials.

The 12-day spy saga ended last Friday with the U.S. and Russia exchanging spies on the tarmac of an airport in Vienna, Austria.

A jet chartered by the U.S government delivered the 10 Russians who admitted in New York court last Thursday that they were Russian agents. They were sentenced to 11 days of time served and expelled from the U.S. under the terms of the spy swap, which released four people who had been convicted of spying for the west.

Teenage Son, Juan Lazaro Jr., Left Behind

The teenaged son of two members of the Russian spy ring is heartbroken at being left behind - his parents were flown to Russia over night as part of an elaborate "spy swap" reminiscent of the Cold War.

Juan Lazaro Jr., already an accomplished concert pianist at age 17, seemed calm outside the federal courthouse in New York after saying goodbye to his parents last Thursday, but he was suffering deeply, said his father's attorney, Genesis Peduto.